Location: St. Catharines
Top Restaurants in St. Catharines
Top Things to do in St. Catharines
- 1. Lakeside Park Carousel
- 2. The Post Office Shannon Passero
- 3. St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre at Lock 3
- 4. Creekside Estate Winery
- 5. Happy Rolph's Animal Farm
- 6. Morningstar Mill
- 7. Henry of Pelham Family Estate
- 8. 13th Street Winery
- 9. St Catharines Farmers Market
- 10. Chateau des Charmes
Where to eat Italian food in St. Catharines: The Best Restaurants and Bars
Best Italian restaurants nearby. Discover the best Italian food in St. Catharines. View Menus, Photos and Reviews for Italian restaurants near you.. St. Catharines is the largest city in Canada's Niagara Region and the sixth largest urban area in Ontario, with 96.13 square kilometres (37.1 sq mi) of land and 133,113 residents in 2016. It lies in Southern Ontario, 51 kilometres (32 mi) south of Toronto across Lake Ontario, and is 19 kilometres (12 mi) inland from the international boundary with the United States along the Niagara River. It is the northern entrance of the Welland Canal. Residents of St. Catharines are known as St. Cathariners. St. Catharines carries the official nickname "The Garden City" due to its 1,000 acres (4 km) of parks, gardens and trails.
Things to do in St. Catharines
10. N'ata Cosa Ristorante Pizzeria
Overall Ratings
4 based on 150 reviews
St. Catharines' favourite award winning ristorante - top 4 pizzaiolo in the world! We offer hand crafted Italian cuisine at its very best. Authentic Napoletana wood fired pizza, house made pastas made fresh daily, incredible entrees, house made bread and
Reviewed By kimbY4569AE
We just came back from a fabulous meal! We enjoyed âdate nightâ with an amazing 3 course meal for 2 for $50 including an appetizer, chicken parm with fresh pasta and dessert and cappuccinos! My son loved his pizza as well. The service was excellent, they went above and beyond! Thank you so much for joining us this evening during date night. The team will be happy to know you loved everything from the service to the cuisine. We are satisfied that your son loved his pizza as well. Being a family restaurant we pride ourself on bringing a warm and welcome feeling for the whole family to enjoy their night out. Thank you so much Kim. We cant wait to see you again.
9. Cefalu Rustica Eatery
Overall Ratings
4 based on 98 reviews
Cefalù Rustica Eatery is a very southern Italian restaurant, with true Sicilian dishes that will bring you back feeling like your Nona's cooking.
Reviewed By kjmaj
Visited with my daughters and sat on the patio. Lovely view, but the service is so painfully slow it detracts from the visit. Charcuterie and wine were good. Pasta and pizza were mediocre and the prawns with polenta had so many chilies it completely overpowered the dish. Expensive meal for disappointing service and food.
8. Paesano Pizza
Overall Ratings
4 based on 42 reviews
Reviewed By WoodyStryker
I found Paesano via Tripadvisor and thought I would give them a try based on the good reviews. The reviews are right. This is awesome pizza. Crust is great, not thick but just right ... a little thicker than those wood fired pizza places. The sauce is awesome. Ingredients always seem fresh. I've now had 3 pizzas over the last few weeks and each one has been great. My girlfriend and I both think it is a great tasting pizza. I will go so far as to say that the pizza is the best I've had in many years and I like it better than any pizza I've had anywhere else in the Niagara Peninsula. The service has been good as well. This place gets busy at times but so far service is very good. I highly recommend for the pizza. I'm trying out some of the other meals this weekend.
7. Antipastos
Overall Ratings
4 based on 78 reviews
Reviewed By 477JanetC
Visited this place many times over the years and everything I have tried has been great. My personal fav. is the steak sub with fried egg....doesn't get any better.
Where to eat Asian food in St. Catharines: The Best Restaurants and Bars
6. Mele Trattoria
Overall Ratings
4 based on 90 reviews
Reviewed By Paul L
We showed up unannunced about 8pm Saturday night, and they were just starting to wind down. They are open 5pm-close...not sure when that is, but those are the hours. At first it seemed that they might not be taking any more tables, but they quickly assured us we could have a seat and they would be happy to look after us. That was our lucky break. The service was fantastic..start to finish..and the food was just excellent. I had the chicken parm (special that night) and the wife had the Salmon (also a special that evening). The bread they give you to begin was great, but we added a bruschetta as well. Fantastic. The entrees came and they were just so darn good. We had a bottle of Meglomaniac Pinot Noir with dinner, and that was perfect. A truly pleasant experience. A+++++
5. Valley Restaurant
Overall Ratings
4 based on 127 reviews
Italian Cuisine, served in the warmth and elegance of Tuscan decor. The menu features home cooked Italian dishes (award winning lasagna), seafood, filet mignon, chicken and veal selections. The wine list includes both local and international bottles. Dine
Reviewed By GRTinTO
We had dinner at the Valley Restaurant last night for a special anniversary. It was our first time there. The service was friendly, helpful and well timed. The menu had more than enough choice. The food was excellent and the portions excellent. Even though the room we were in was full, the noise level wasnât excessive. I donât like restaurants where it get so noisy you have to shout. The price with cocktails and a couple of glasses of wine and dessert for 4 came to about $200. A nice touch was a complimentary taste of limoncello after dinner.We recommend the Valley Restaurant and anticipate returning in the future.
4. Lina Linguini's Pasta & Grille
Overall Ratings
4 based on 315 reviews
Reviewed By kevinhB7173LQ
We go here as one of our favourite places for a celebration meal . Always enjoy the food, service has always been top notch.
3. Cafe Amore
Overall Ratings
4 based on 415 reviews
Cafe Amore is Mediterranean inspired restaurant that opened in 1995. Featuring seafood, steak, veal, lamb, chicken, pastas, pizza and vegetarian dishes you'll be sure to find something for everyone. Over the years it has been voted as the best overall res
Reviewed By PookyCake
Open since 1995, Café Amore has been a staple of the St. Catharines area for nearly a quarter century. Over that time, the restaurant has garnered many accolades, according to their own website: best overall restaurant, most romantic, best desserts and best ambiance, amongst a few others. Of course, it would be helpful to know who voted Café Amore âbestâ in each of these categories â and when â but I guess such details are redundant when self-promoting?In any event, I patronized this restaurant with family for what was supposed to be, Iâm told, an unforgettable meal. Now, letâs start with what I liked about Café Amore: I did like the ambiance and atmosphere; it was traditional Mediterranean, but with a contemporary twist. The staff, doubtless, added to this warm and friendly atmosphere. Throughout the dinner service, they were engaging, friendly and very attentive and they did so in a way that wasnât intrusive. For me, this was a big âplusâ because it demonstrated that the Café Amore team understands the essence of good customer service, which is an integral part of any positive dining experience.Unfortunately, the food did not quite match the high calibre of customer service; in fact, Iâd go so far as to say the food was a mixed bag. The Charcuterie platter, which served as an appetizer, was spot on. It featured a nice selection of meats and cheeses â including prosciutto, salami, gorgonzola and provolone â and other niceties, including olives and the ever delightful figs. Likewise, my Caesar salad was good. It featured fresh parmesan and a dressing that contained just the right level of acidity and garlic. After two great starters, I had high hopes for my main: Stuffed sole. Much to my chagrin, however, the stuffed sole â a flat fish â fell flat in a pronounced way. First, the presentation was left wanting. The sole came in a grease-saturated dish (see photo); and the accompanying vegetables looked fairly sorry and sad, with the broccoli turning yellow in colour. Even the parsley garnish couldnât save the plating here. Second, when it came to taste, I was most disappointed. The sole, despite being filled with a broccoli-shrimp-cheese stuffing and saturated in an oily alfredo (?) sauce, lacked any significant flavour. The poor sole was completely lost in the oily mess. The one flavour that did ring through, though? The freezer. Yum!I should note, as well, that one member of our party had a wood-fired pizza. It was fine, but far from the best Iâve had in this regard. There were ample toppings but, for a wood-fired pie, it was rather âsoftâ in texture, which isnât standard. On the plus side, though, it was better than my fish.One thing that Iâve heard a lot about is Café Amoreâs desserts. Even while dining in the restaurant, I was able to overhear people raving about their cakes and pies. As such, I was excited to try one as well. I ended up going for the Strawberry shortcake. I will say, in terms of both presentation and taste, this cake was a definite winner. The cake was soft; the strawberry filling wasnât overly sweet; and the portion size was just right after a decent-sized meal. Sure, none of the desserts are actually made on site â and that is kind of a downer â but then again, there are quite a few establishments that bring these treats in from elsewhere. Itâs a pretty common practice. Youâd be surprised.FOOD: 3/5SERVICE: 4/5VALUE: 3/5RECOMMENDATION: Well, even though Café Amore has received many a (mystery) accolade, I probably wouldnât go out of my way to return here. The appetizers were good but the mains not so much. Likewise, the cake was delicious, but not made on site. While not really familiar with the St. Catharines area, Iâd hazard a guess that there are other â better â Mediterranean eateries in the vicinity. Mild recommendation.PS: If you found this review helpful in any way please consider hitting the "helpful" button!
2. Johnny Rocco's
Overall Ratings
4 based on 1095 reviews
We serve fresh, flavourful Italian dishes prepared from the finest ingredients sourced from around the world. Our pizza dough is made fresh daily and topped with the freshest and most flavourful toppings. For dessert, nothing beats our cannons. Two crisp
Reviewed By bigdoubled71
A large group of us went for a birthday dinner at Johnny Rocco's recently and we enjoyed our visit. Our server was super friendly and did an outstanding job looking after our group. The food was excellent. Loved the wood oven pizza. Restaurant is a bit noisy unfortunately but food was good.
1. Coppola's Ristorante
Overall Ratings
4 based on 644 reviews
Reviewed By operalover939
The food is very good. We shared a super-sized house salad and the Portabello Asiago; I had the Pollo Figaro, and my wife had the Eggplant Parmigiana. It was all very tasty. On the downside: the space is a rather gloomy barn, and the live music, mostly rock, that began around 8:30 was enough to drive us out of the restaurant before dessert.
Most Popular Chinese food in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada
